text: By . Pete Jenson . Follow @@petejenson . OK, so it wasn’t quite the tower block being detonated: Barcelona went down fighting, a post's width from equalising in injury time and ultimately only second-best because of Gareth Bale’s brilliance. But the Copa del Rey represented their most realistic chance to win a trophy this season and a trophyless campaign means heads will roll. Gerardo Martino appears to have already decided his time at the club will come to an end at the end of the season. He was criticised when Barca were winning so he knew what was coming as soon as they started losing. Scroll down to watch Messi appearing exhausted in training before Copa del Rey final . Up in arms: Lionel Messi reacts during Barcelona's Copa del Rey final defeat against Real Madrid . Teapot: The Argentina superstar puts his hands on his hips as he faces up to a toothless display . Pals and rivals: Cristiano Ronaldo (right) comforts Lionel Messi after the game . Rubbing it in: Madrid playmaker Xabi Alonso celebrates as Messi reflects on his poor performance . Can't hold him off: Messi keeps Bale at arm's length, but it was the former Spurs star who had the last laugh . No comfort: Neymar puts his arm round Messi after the defeat against Barcelona's arch rivals . Bale hailed in Spain as 'run of a lifetime' From fresh-faced youngster to global star - the changing face of Gareth Bale . Step-by-step guide to Bale's wonder goal . Lineker claims Bale 'now a superstar' as Welshman savours perfect night . Ancelotti hails Bale as 'extraordinary' 'It’s been a hard week,' he said after the Madrid defeat. His side are now out of two competitions and almost out of a third inside seven days. Martino rotated his squad earlier in the season so that they might not tire in the later big games - as they did so disastrously last year against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final - but there is no accounting for Bale. 'It’s incredible to see at that stage of the game someone with the power to make that run and then the composure to finish as he did,' said the Barca coach of his tormentor. If, as expected, Martino goes, two candidates will lead the race to replace him. Borussia Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp appeals to the Barcelona media because of his swashbuckling football and charismatic press conferences. But Athletic Bilabo coach Ernesto Valverde might be a more realistic option and would be many fans' choice. Incredi-Bale! The Wales star (centre) scored a sensational winning goal to land the cup for Madrid . Money well spent: The world's most expensive footballer at £86m has won his new side a trophy already . Valverde will also be a safer bet. As a former player at the Nou Camp he will not look to compromise the 'Barca way' and will not complain if the club can't make any signings this summer - he is in much the same position at Bilbao, who can only sign Basque players. If president Josep Bartomeu comes up with an acceptable candidate to replace Martino then he may save his own skin. But if supporters are unhappy at the prospective new manager then attention will turn to a board still marked by its association to Sandro Rosell, the last president who oversaw the Neymar contract fiasco and failed to satisfy FIFA's demands for Barca to put the status of their Under 18 players in order. The ban on transfers will perhaps save . the squad from a major overhaul although any big offers for players such . as Dani Alves, Alex Song and Alexis Sanchez may be accepted . regardless. Time to go: Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino (left) knows his days are numbered at the Nou Camp . Going, going, gone? Dani Alves, who has been a star at right back for Barca, could be leaving this summer . The club are still hopeful they can buy time in the transfer market by appealing to the Court of Arbitration in Sport, freeing them up to spend at the end of this season before any ban kicks in next winter if they lose the appeal. What can't be bought is the happiness and form of Lionel Messi. 'Messing in action' was the most used headline after his no-show in the final. The slalom dribbles have been replaced by a melancholic meandering and there is a sense that until the old Messi returns Barca will struggle to emerge from the doldrums.